The most memorable fashion at Cannes isn’t always found on the festival steps. Some of it unfolds behind the velvet ropes: private dinners, brand celebrations, invitation-only rooms where clothes are seen up close rather than from a barrier. While the world watches the red carpet, a quieter story plays out across the Riviera’s most exclusive events, and Cannes 2026 was no exception.
From Chopard and Kilian Paris to the WIBA Awards, a small circle of guests chose couture built around personal expression. Four women wore Kristie Romanos to some of the festival’s most distinguished private events, each look drawing on the designer’s eveningwear language: sculptural construction, careful finishing, and a balance of strength and femininity. Together they offered a first look at the Kristie Romanos 2027 Evening Collection.
Zarina Yeva and the Hand-Painted Corset That Stole the Evening
The most distinctive Kristie Romanos moment of the week belonged to Zarina Yeva, at one of Cannes 2026’s most prestigious private events. Chopard had gathered an international guest list of celebrities, influencers, and industry figures for an evening built around creativity, and Zarina arrived in a piece that earned its place in the room.
The look centred on a sculpted denim corset turned into a wearable artwork through hand-painted detailing. Structured construction met free-hand artistry, blurring the line between fashion and art, and reframing what eveningwear can be. Against the polish of a Chopard celebration, a hand-painted denim corset was a genuine surprise, and that was its power: it challenged convention without ever leaving the territory of couture. It became one of the festival’s most talked-about looks and a clear statement of how far the Kristie Romanos design language can stretch.
Carolina Ogliaro in Black, at the Kilian Paris Party
Few colours hold the room like black, and Carolina Ogliaro made the case at the Kilian Paris party in a design from the 2027 Evening Collection. A sculpted corseted bodice met a romantic sweetheart neckline framed with delicate lace, balancing structure against sensuality.
Gold embellishment traced the neckline and ran down the centre of the gown, catching the light against the richly textured draping below. It was a look that earned its impact through detail rather than volume, and it sat naturally among the festival’s most exclusive gatherings.
Lucia Hajnikova in the 2027 Evening Collection
Lucia Hajnikova wore the collection to one of the festival’s exclusive private celebrations in a striking sky-blue gown that embodied the spirit of the 2027 collection. Crafted from layers of airy tulle, the design featured a softly draped strapless neckline and a fitted corseted bodice that opened into a dramatic voluminous skirt. The gown’s standout detail lay in its sculptural cloud-like folds across the bodice and waist, creating movement and dimension while maintaining an effortless sense of elegance.
The look captured what the 2027 line is reaching for: a modern, confident interpretation of glamour where the construction does the talking. Precise tailoring, luxurious texture, and the fluidity of the layered tulle created a sense of ease rather than effort. The result was quietly assured, the kind of glamour that draws people in across a room rather than from a stage.
Sasha Ray at the WIBA Awards
At the WIBA Awards, Sasha Ray wore a standout design from the Kristie Romanos 2024 Evening Collection, proof of how well a strong piece holds up. Intricate crystal embellishment and fluid draping gave the gown movement, with cascading beaded strands and shimmering embroidery catching the light as she moved.
A high neckline and embellished gloves pushed the look past traditional eveningwear into something more couture, and the gloves in particular gave it a distinct point of view. The appeal lay in the contrast: structure and fluidity in the same gown, each detail considered. It was one of the more complete looks of the week, regardless of when the collection first appeared.
The Kristie Romanos Signature, Away from the Spotlight
Cannes is defined by its most photographed moments, but some of its most interesting fashion happens away from the cameras. Across Chopard, Kilian Paris, WIBA, and a run of private celebrations, Kristie Romanos showed four different sides of the same house: hand-painted artistry, sculptural corsetry, fluid glamour, and embellishment that lasts well beyond its season.
That range speaks to a wider shift in luxury dressing. As celebrity style becomes more personal, the interest is moving from sheer visibility toward individuality and pieces that hold up over time. Cannes 2026 celebrated cinema, but for Kristie Romanos it was also a chance to show how modern eveningwear can command a room through artistry and how the most influential fashion increasingly takes shape in these intimate spaces.
Discover the latest Kristie Romanos Evening Collection and explore statement creations crafted for the modern woman.